Caseworker jobs in Birmingham

Why Access Social Care Exists 

Every day millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, and none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us - we will all need care at some point in our lives. 

We all have a right to hold public bodies to account, but most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 92% drop in legal aid cases since 2010 means that we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist.

What we do 

Access Social Care (‘ASC’) provides legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it. 

Our network of lawyers and caseworkers provide access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded, and we all get the support we need. 

We provide rights awareness training to front line managers, and legal advice and casework support to families and individuals. As well as providing access to justice, our aim is to drive system level change through evidence-led influencing and strategic casework.

This is an exciting time to join ASC. We have a new strategy. We are dedicated to the people who need our help, and we care deeply about our team. We think that work should be an exciting and satisfying place to be.

About the role 

The Finance & IT Operations manager ensures effective financial management and control throughout ASC overseeing financial administration, reporting and compliance.

The role provides guidance and support on financial matters to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in areas such as cash flow, audit and tax whilst ensuring that budget holders across ASC are well supported with tools and skills. The role also helps develop and implement the charity’s IT strategy, including managing the external IT provider and service level agreement.

Responsibilities

1. Financial Management and Reporting

• Provide the Chief Operating Officer (COO) with accurate, regular and comprehensive financial information reports to guide effective and sound financial decision making.
• Monitor financial activity against approved annual budget, reporting any anomalies or unusual activity to the COO.
• Develop, implement and operate monitoring systems for financial forecasting and re-forecasting to support sound decision making.
• Support the COO in the co-ordination of the annual budgeting and planning process ensuring that information is collected, compiled and reported in a consistent and robust manner.
• Co-ordinate and produce year end Charity SORP financial statements, including the Trustee Annual Report, providing external auditors with the necessary documentation and support to audit the financial statements.
• Ensure compliance with all financial regulations, liaising with the charity’s external auditors in preparing the SORP financial statements.
• Partner with budget holders, providing monthly expenditure against budget reports and supporting their understanding and decision making.
• Preparing financial statements for funder reporting and supporting the COO in designing budgets and financial models for new fundraising bids and other commercial offerings.
• Produce VAT and corporation tax returns and manage ASC’s relationship with HMRC.
• Oversee the payroll process, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely submission to the outsourced provider.
• Oversee accounts payable and receivable.
• Establish a detailed cashflow planning process and manage the flow of capital between ASC’s and its chosen banks, recommending any changes as appropriate.
• Manage all banking relationships.

2. Policy and Procedures

• Collaborate with the COO to establish effective processes and controls to ensure efficient and effective financial management is delivered and maintained.
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of effective procurement policies, procedures and systems ensuring best value is achieved across all activities.

3. IT, Contracts & Data Protection

• Support the COO to review current accounting and finance systems recommending and implementing upgrades and improvements where agreed.
• Support the COO in drafting and implementing ASC’s IT strategy.
• Tender and manage SLA and relationship with external IT provider.
• Review outsourced arrangements and systems and work with the COO on tendering for fit for purpose systems to match organisational strategy and direction.
• Lead on the annual insurance renewal process, ensuring appropriate cover is in place and general administration of the charity’s insurance policies is enacted.
• Manage and review business interruption and disaster recovery plans, using regular simulation testing to ensure robustness.
• Keep existing portfolio of client and supplier template contracts under review, recommending risk-based strengthening.
• Oversee ASC’s data protection infrastructure, co-ordinating departmental Data Protection Champions to ensure that policy & practice is robust
• Work with COO in response to reactive data protection issues and incidents

4. People Management

• Provide line management to the Finance Assistant, using ASC’s management processes to ensure they are supported, motivated and able to work effectively.
• Plan and oversee the Finance Assistant’s workload, ensuring tasks are allocated appropriately and completed to required standards.
• Contribute to creating a collaborative team culture aligned with ASC’s values. 

5. Other Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and implementation of team development work within the Finance & IT Operations Team in collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer and the Business Support Manager.

This list of tasks is not exhaustive and will be reviewed from time to time in discussion with the post holder.

Person Specification

All staff at ASC are expected to share and demonstrate our values:

Trustworthy

Recognised for excellence, we will be the best we can be in everything we do.  We will be truthful, independent and outcomes focussed.

Fair

We believe in treating people with kindness and compassion in a way that is right, reasonable and just.

Fearless

We will do what is right, not what is easy.  We will bravely challenge injustice.

Inclusive

Our beneficiaries’ voices will influence our thinking and decision making at all levels of our organisation. Collaborative in our thinking, we will work with others to achieve our goals.

Positive

We will be constructive and progressive in our challenge.  We will optimistically and dynamically drive for change.

In addition to our values, you will also need to be able to demonstrate or tell us about the following areas at your interview:

Personal attributes you will have

Essential:

• Purpose driven with a commitment to our mission and values
• Commitment to working within the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
• Self-aware, solutions focused and able to generate goodwill with collaborators and colleagues.
• Demonstrates integrity and an ability to hold and respect confidential and sensitive information.
• Dependable, resilient with the ability to remain composed and effective under pressure.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and proactive in taking initiative.

Experience you will have

Minimum

• Experience of preparing management accounts, monitoring budgets and producing financial reports for senior leaders.
• Experience of contract and SLA management, including reviewing and monitoring provider performance.

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of financial management within a multi-stakeholder environment, including familiarity with charity accounting and SORP principles.
• Line management experience supporting the performance and development of team members.
• Experience of overseeing IT services or outsourced IT support arrangements.

Desirable

• Experience of managing or coordinating insurance, risk, business continuity and/or disaster recovery processes.

Skills you will have

Essential

• Strong numerical and analytical skills to effectively analyse financial reports
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, able to engage effectively with diverse groups and senior professionals.
• Able to manage multiple tasks, prioritise effectively and meet competing internal and external deadlines.
• Able to produce accurate and reliable work.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, able to convey complex information clearly and accessibly to both financial and non-financial audiences.
• Strong IT skills including demonstrable proficiency in MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Sage 50 Accounts.

Knowledge you will have gained

Minimum:

• Working towards qualification in ACA, ACCA, CIMA or experience to this level.

Essential:

• Practical knowledge and understanding of management accounting principles and techniques.
• In-depth knowledge of budgeting and financial forecasting and preparation of financial reports for senior management and compliance purposes. 

Desirable: 

• An understanding of Data Protection law and practice 

How to apply

We hope that having read this far, you will want to apply!

Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV
• A completed Equality and Diversity Recruitment Monitoring Form – Fill out form (A link to this form can be found in the job pack)
• A supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing:
  • The essential requirements of the person specification

If you want support applying, contact us.

Please ensure you have the right to work in the UK before expressing your interest in this role. We are sorry that we cannot consider applications from candidates who do not have the right to work in the UK.

We only reach out to candidates who have been shortlisted. If you do not receive communication from us within two weeks following the application deadline, please consider that we will not be moving forward with your application. 

Timeline for recruitment process

If we receive a high number of applications for this role, we may close the role early. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as you are able.

Closing date: 23:59 on Monday 9th February.

Interviews will take place on Monday 2nd March & Tuesday 3rd March.

Please ensure you keep these dates free.

At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams. 

With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

For every role we advertise, we outline a set of minimum skills or experience that are key to doing the job well. If you have a disability (this includes long term health conditions or mental health conditions) and you meet these minimum criteria, you can request to be considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you would like to apply through this scheme, please clearly show in your supporting statement how you meet the minimum requirements for the role and indicate in your application email that you wish to be considered under the scheme. If you are applying via Charity Jobs, please ensure that you indicate at the beginning of your supporting statement that you wish to be considered under the scheme.

Being offered an interview through this route does not mean you are guaranteed the job. The selection decision will still be based on who performs best at interview.

If you are invited to interview, we will ask if you need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the process.

Please note: If we receive a high number of applications from candidates who meet the essential criteria and request to be considered under the scheme, we may need to prioritise those whose applications most closely match the role requirements.

We are advertising for a Homicide Family Case Worker to join the West Midlands Team.

You will be based within the West Midlands but will predominately cover Birmingham and the South of the West Midlands however, travel across the whole of the West Midlands may be required. This role is working full time 37.5 hours a week on a permanent contract.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

What we offer:

At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:

• Flexible working options including hybrid working
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday & options to buy or sell annual leave
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes
• Cycle to work scheme & season ticket loans
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the role:

Becoming a Homicide Caseworker is a unique opportunity to support families and individuals bereaved by and, eyewitness to murder and manslaughter. The National Homicide Service is a fast paced, specialist team funded directly by the Ministry of Justice to provide exceptional trauma informed practical and emotional support every day.

As a Family Caseworker you will:

• Work closely with the Major Crime Police Units, Senior Investigators and Family Liaison Officers, providing a pivotal role to support clients through the Criminal Justice System.
• Support clients by phone and Zoom as well as meeting families in their own homes or community, therefore you will be required to travel throughout the area.
• Complete needs assessments, and will coordinate and deliver a tailored package of support alongside our commissioned providers and other key stakeholders.

The role of Homicide Caseworker is varied, demanding and rewarding; no one day is the same and you will thrive on this challenge. You will need to be extremely organised and able work independently and as well as being a pro-active, supportive member of a team open to developing your personal resilience. Our priority is to ensure that those bereaved by and eyewitness to murder have the support they need for as long as they need.

About Us:

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. We put them at the heart of our organisation and our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

At Victim Support, we're proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We're committed to being an antiracist organisation, and we actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so. We are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible.

The role: This is a rewarding role where every day brings the opportunity to make a positive difference to people's lives. We regularly receive testimonials from service users describing the life-changing impact of receiving support from our caseworkers in the National Road Victim Service.

Working location: mostly remote work with some travel required. Based in the north/central area of the South West region you will deliver a face-to-face service to clients in their own home or safe meeting place across the Dorset, Avon, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire area  as well as providing support by Teams, phone, email or other means to suit the service user. We take a person-centred approach so the amount of travel will vary depending on your caseload at the time. You’re in control of your own diary. 

Why this role is important: Every 20 minutes, someone is killed or seriously injured on UK roads. For families affected, the emotional and practical challenges are immense. As a Caseworker, you will provide trauma-informed care to individuals and families suffering from the sudden bereavement or life-altering injury of a loved one. Working mostly remotely, with some home visits to service users, you’ll offer vital emotional and practical support—including helping them access therapeutic resources, financial assistance, and guidance through the complexities of medical and legal processes. 

About Brake: Brake is a renowned and respected road safety charity with a 30-year history dedicated to supporting people affected by road crashes and advocating for safer streets. 

You'll join a closely knit team of fellow caseworkers, each using their individual experience and skills to provide person-centred support to victims. This provides a ready-made peer group who share best practice and knowledge and support each other so, in turn, they can best support road victims. There's no sugar coating it, this isn't an easy role, it requires a special type of person with strong resilience, but the reward is a strong sense of purpose, every day. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so we have strong support systems in place to support our caseworker's wellbeing, including clinical supervision. 

What we offer:

· A generous 35 days of annual leave (including bank holidays and 3-day end of year shutdown) 

· Birthday day off 

· Flexible working (choose a working pattern to suit you between the hours of 8am-6pm Mon-Fri) 

· Enhanced sick pay and compassionate leave 

· Death in service benefit 

· Pension 

· Employee Assistance Programme 

· Clinical supervision and excellent support 

· A rewarding role with purpose 

· Be part of a skilled, friendly team with an engaged Board of Trustees 

· Opportunity to attend prestigious events such as the Brake annual reception and awards (if you want to) 

Who we're looking for 

Full training will be provided under the guidance of our dedicated Training Officer. Our induction program has been developed to equip caseworkers with the skills they need to provide high quality support to road victims and covers topics such as being trauma-informed, safeguarding and risk management. We're open to candidates from all sorts of backgrounds, as long as you're a compassionate, self-starter with a background in providing high-quality emotional support and advocacy. Your experience in roles within the NHS, any health and social care, road safety, counselling, lived experience or any type of casework could make you an ideal candidate. 

Essential Requirements: 

• A full, clean UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle (travel expenses are reimbursed) 

• Resident in the north/central area of the South West Region. 

• Experience delivering frontline support, preferably involving sudden bereavement or heightened vulnerabilities. 

· Strong advocacy and research skills to liaise with multiple organisations on behalf of service users. 

• Competency in I.T skills to work remotely. 

Desirable Experience: 

Comprehensive understanding of the processes involved in the criminal justice system and coronial process 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: Brake is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a good work/life balance and flexible around caring commitments. We welcome your application whatever your background or situation. We particularly welcome applications from those who are part of the global majority, the LGBTQIA+ community or disabled. We are proud to be a disability confident employer. We don’t want you to ‘fit’ our culture, we want you to enrich it. So, if you have a passion for making a difference and share in our vision for a world where no one is killed on our roads, we would love to hear from you. 

Apply now: If you're up for a new challenge and have the skills, apply now by sending your CV and cover letter. We'd like to get to know the real you through your application, not an AI version. If you do use AI to write your cover letter, please check it and make sure it reflects who you are. We encourage cover letters in alternative formats such as videos or presentations.  

Not for traffic offenders: Due to the nature of our work we can't accept applications from traffic offenders. Candidates will be asked to disclose whether they have any unspent points on their licence at screening/interview. 

An enhanced DBS check is required due to the sensitive nature of our service. 

Questions? If you would like to discuss the role further, please get in touch, we'd love to chat.